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#HeraeusPeople Story

Courage pays off

Arthur Charlet, Head of HME; Co-President HME

“Sometimes one of the biggest developments starts with a leap in the dark. For me, that was at the beginning of 2020 when I moved from an OpCo to the central M&A and strategy department of the Heraeus Group. The change brought me into a completely new world. I, who had never worked in a bank or consultancy, was now surrounded by strategy consultants and bankers. It was intense. It was demanding, but it was exactly what I needed: I learned an extreme amount in a short space of time - and I enjoyed it!

When questions lead to leadership

My first project was for the operating company then known as Heraeus Conamic. “Take a look at their new strategy process and coordinate it,” they said. That was the moment when I not only had to test my new skills, but also develop my own approach. How do you understand a market you haven't been active in before? How do you build up expertise when you don't yet have a deep network in the industry? And above all: how do you put all of this into a strategy that is not only analytically coherent, but also convinces the decision-makers?

I systematically set to work. I asked myself the big questions of what information is really crucial, which experts I can approach in the group and how I can access technical knowledge. My department head supported me as a sparring partner, but of course the actual work was up to me. So I worked intensively with methods such as the Five Forces, both in theory and directly in practice. At the same time, I realized that strategy development goes far beyond figures and analyses. It's about communication. Stakeholder management was a huge learning curve: What do decision-makers really need? Is a PowerPoint slide enough or do I have to explain more complex relationships?

Stronger through exchange

I still use the toolkit and the notes from that time today. But I also experienced how valuable it is to exchange ideas with colleagues. These sparring sessions, out-of-the-box thinking and the courage to take new approaches have shaped my path.”

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